Systems and methods to automatically perform actions based on media content

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for automatically selecting a mute function based on audio content. One example method includes receiving, at a first computing device, a first audio input and, from a second computing device, a second audio input. Content of the first audio input and the second audio input is determined with natural language processing. Whether the content of the first audio input corresponds to the content of the second audio input is determined. A mute function is operated at the first computing device, based on the determination of whether the content of the first audio input corresponds to the content of the second audio input.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates to automatically performing actions based onmedia content and, in particular, systems and related methods fordetermining and performing actions pertaining to video and/or audiostreams.

SUMMARY

With the proliferation of computing devices, such as laptops,smartphones and tablets, there has been an increase in the use ofsystems that receive and process video and/or audio. For example, avideoconferencing program on a laptop may enable a user to view videostreams via the laptop screen. The videoconferencing program may have anumber of capabilities built into it, for example the ability to recordthe videoconference, the ability to mute the user or othervideoconference participants, the ability to display the video streamsof other participants in different ways, and/or the ability to start aconference call from a calendar invite. Typically all these functionsare operable by the user in a manual fashion. In addition, if a videostream is no longer received from a participant, then thevideoconferencing program may indicate an error. In videoconferencingcalls with a larger number of participants, the number of configurableoptions can distract a host of the videoconference from delivering thevideoconference, as they are distracted by adjusting settings associatedwith the videoconference. For example, a host may want to record onlyparts of a videoconference, such as the presentation of a slide deck,and may not want to record an informal discussion following thepresentation. If the host forgets to stop the recording, then it willrequire extra work to edit the video after the videoconference. Inanother scenario, there may be two presentations with an informaldiscussion between them. The host may remember to stop the recordingafter the first presentation, but forgets to start the recording afterthe informal discussion, losing the second presentation entirely. On topof this, a participant may be muted while listening to the presentation,but forget to unmute themselves when attempting to participate in theinformal discussion and may miss their opportunity to contribute to thediscussion. Additionally, the host may be joined by co-hosts. If so, thehost may wish to order the participants in a particular manner on theirscreen. However, if a co-host is late in joining the videoconference,then it may distract the host to have to rearrange the order of theparticipants on their screen. For a user who wishes to attend avideoconference, but it conflicts with another event on their calendar,the user may wish to catchup on the videoconference at a later time.However, if the videoconference is long and does not stick to anadvertised agenda, it may take an excessive amount of time for the userto find the content that they are interested in. Additional issues arisewhen participants have connectivity issues, especially if a participantis the person giving a presentation. It can be confusing forvideoconference participants if connectivity issues are experienced andthey are unsure as to whether, for example, the videoconference isproceeding. There are a variety of issues that arise when usingvideoconferencing, some of which pertain to the video aspect and some ofwhich pertain to the audio aspect. Although the above example refers toa videoconference, these problems may arise when using video and/oraudio outside of videoconferencing as well. For example, a user may wishto record only certain parts of a video of a Closed-circuit Television(CCTV) system, or the videoconference may instead be a teleconference.

In view of the foregoing, it would be beneficial to have a system thatallows actions to be performed automatically based on media content.

Systems and methods are described herein for automatically performingactions based on media content. In accordance with an aspect of thedisclosure, a method is provided for automatically performing an actionbased on video content. A content determination engine is used todetermine content of the video. Based on the content of the video, anaction to perform at the first computing device and/or a secondcomputing device is generated. If the action is to be performed at thesecond computing device, the action to be performed is transmitted tothe second computing device. The action is performed at the respectivefirst and/or second computing device.

An example implementation of such a method is a household camera that isconnected to a local network and transmits a live video stream to aserver. The content of the video stream is determined at the server, andthe server determines that there is an intruder attempting to enter thehousehold. Based on the content of the video stream, the servergenerates an action to display an alert on a mobile device that is incommunication with the server. The action is transmitted to the mobiledevice, and the mobile device displays an alert indicating that there isan intruder attempting to enter the household.

Audio may also be received at the first computing device, and thedetermining the content of the video may be based, at least in part, onthe received audio. The content of the video may additionally and/oralternatively be determined based on text recognition of any textpresent in the video and/or any people identified in the video.

The method may further include identifying and determining the state ofat least one object in the video, and the generated action to perform isbased on the state of the object. In addition to the example describedabove, this may include identifying a fire and sounding an alarm on aconnected alarm and/or displaying an alert at a mobile device.

The action to perform may include the stopping of any video that isbeing broadcast from the first device, stopping the storage of any videothat is being stored at the first device and/or transmitting video fromthe first computing device to at least one other computing device.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method isprovided for automatically selecting a mute function based on audiocontent. A first audio input is received at a first computing device. Inaddition, a second input is received at the first computing device froma second computing device. Natural language processing is used todetermine content of the first and second audio inputs. It is thendetermined whether the content of the first audio input corresponds tothe content of the second audio input. Based on whether or not the firstand second audio inputs correspond, a mute function may be operated atthe first computing device.

An example of such a system is an audioconferencing system that usesnatural language processing to determine what participants are speakingabout. For example, the participants are discussing gravitational wavesand someone shouts “Shut the door, please” in proximity to a firstparticipant. The system may determine that the phrase “Shut the door,please” does not correspond to gravitational waves and hence may turn onthe mute function of the first participant's device.

The first audio input may be received via an input device, such as amicrophone, and the second audio input may be received from a secondcomputing device via, for example, a network. The first and/or secondaudio input may be transcribed. Although the example above indicatesthat the mute function is turned on, the natural language processing maydetermine that a speaker is intending to be heard, but has accidentallyleft the mute function turned on. In this case, the mute function may beoperated by the system and turned off. It may also be beneficial toautomatically record the participants, so that if it is determined thatthe mute function has accidentally been left on, the first part of aparticipant's contribution can be automatically played back, so thatnone of the participant's contribution is missed.

A network, such as the natural language processing network discussedabove, may be trained to determine whether the content of a first audioinput corresponds to the content of a second audio input. Source audiodata including source audio transcriptions made up of words is provided.A mathematical representation of the source audio data is produced,wherein the source audio words are assigned a value that represents thecontext of the work. The network is trained, using the mathematicalrepresentation of the source audio data, to determine whether thecontent of first and second audio inputs correspond.

In another aspect, a method for automatically arranging the display of aplurality of videos on a display of a computing device is provided. Aplurality of video streams is received at a computing device. An orderin which to display the video streams, based on the video of the videostreams, is determined. The video streams are displayed on a display ofthe computing device based on the determined order.

An example of such a system is a mobile device displaying a plurality ofaudiovisual streams of a videoconference for a business presentation.The mobile device uses natural language processing to determine what isbeing said in the audiovisual streams and orders the streams so that thepresenters are displayed first on the screen. Such an example mayfurther make use of a participant recognition model and/or query adatabase of participant names in order to aid with the ordering of thevideos. Additionally, the entropy (i.e., how much movement there is in avideo) of a video may be used to indicate who is presenting and who isparticipating. In addition to determining the entropy, the determinationmay take into account whether the entropy is contributed by humanmovement or non-human movement. Another factor that may be taken intoaccount to order the videos is the frequency of messages (e.g., in achat function) that are exchanged between devices. Finally, the order inwhich the participants join the videoconference may be taken intoaccount.

In another aspect, a method is provided for automatically responding tonetwork connectivity issues in a media stream. A media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices. Whether there is a network connectivity issue betweenthe first computing device and the one or more secondary computingdevices is detected. Where a network connectivity issue is detected, anotification is transmitted to one or more of the secondary computingdevices.

An example of an implementation of such a method follows. If a userparticipating in a videoconference via a laptop has a connectivityissue, for example if they move out of range of a Wi-Fi network, then anotification is transmitted to the other participants indicating thatthe user is having a connectivity issue. The system on which this methodis implemented may comprise, for example, a server that monitors thestatus of all participants and transmits notifications as appropriate.Alternatively, the system may be de-centralized, and participants maymonitor the status of other participants in the videoconference. Themethod may also or alternatively comprise monitoring networkconnectivity issues between secondary devices and transmitting anotification to the primary device and the other secondary devices.

The notification may be in the form of a text message, an audio message,an icon and/or a notification that appears in a notification area of theone or more secondary computing devices. The secondary computing devicesmay be split into subgroups, with one or more of the subgroupsprioritized for receiving notifications. The determination of thenetwork connectivity may include transmitting a polling signal andmonitoring for any change in the polling signal, monitoring for a changein bitrate of the video stream and/or monitoring for a change in thestrength of a wireless signal.

Natural language processing may be used to determine content of theaudio of videoconference participants, and the notification may betransmitted to one or more secondary devices based on the audio of thevideoconference. This may include determining the name of one or moreparticipants named in the videoconference. A database of participantsmay be queried to determine, for example, whether the participant is ahost of the videoconference.

In another aspect, a method is provided for automatically identifyingcontent of a conference call. Audio is received at a computing device. Auser response to the audio is determined, and, using natural languageprocessing, content of the audio is determined. An action is performedbased on the user response and the audio content.

An example of such a system is a user participating in a conference callvia a mobile device. The user may pick up the mobile device when theyare interested in the content of the conference call and may put downthe mobile device when they are less interested. By monitoring theoutput of an accelerometer of the mobile device, the user response canbe determined. The audio of the conference may be transmitted to aserver, and the content of the audio may be determined. For example, theuser may be interested in fast cars, but less interested in slow cars.Based on the determination, the server may instruct the mobile device toautomatically record the parts of the conference call that relate tofast cars.

Other ways of determining user interest include using an image capturedevice, such as a camera of a computing device, to capture images of theuser. The images may be analyzed to determine a user's facial expressionand/or a user's emotion (e.g., bored, interested, excited). In addition,audio may be captured via the device. For example, if a user islistening to music at the same time, that may indicate that they areless interested in the content. Also, a characteristic associated withthe user's voice may be determined. Other indicators include monitoringthe time that a user displays a conferencing application on a display ofthe computing device, tracking a user's eye movement and/or associatingaudio content from the conference call with a user profile. Anotherexample of an action that may be performed is alerting the user tospecific content. For example, if the conference related to slow carsfor the last 30 minutes and has changed to fast cars, the user may bealerted so that they can pay attention to the conference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment in which a video is received at acomputing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIGS. 2a and 2b show further exemplary environments in which a video isreceived at a computing device and an action based on the video contentis automatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 3 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 4 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 5 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 6 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving a video and for automaticallyperforming an action based on the video content, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a video andfor automatically performing an action based on the video content, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary environment in which first and second audioinputs are received at a computing device and a mute function isautomatically selected based on the audio inputs, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIGS. 10a-10c show further exemplary environments in which first andsecond audio inputs are received at a computing device and a mutefunction is automatically selected based on the audio inputs, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows another exemplary environment in which first and secondaudio inputs are received at a computing device and a mute function isautomatically selected based on the audio inputs, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving a video and for automaticallyselecting a mute function based on first and second audio inputs to thecomputing device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is another block diagram representing components of a computingdevice and data flow therebetween for receiving a video and forautomatically selecting a mute function based on first and second audioinputs to the computing device, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a video andfor automatically selecting a mute function based on first and secondaudio inputs to the computing device, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 is another flowchart representing a process for receiving avideo and for automatically selecting a mute function based on first andsecond audio inputs to the computing device, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 16 a flowchart representing a process for training a network todetermine whether the content of a first audio input corresponds to thecontent of a second audio input, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 17a shows an exemplary environment in which a plurality of videostreams are received at a computing device and the video streams areautomatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 17b shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 17c shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 17d shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 17e shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 17f shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving a plurality of video streamsand for automatically displaying the video streams on a display of thecomputing device in a determined order, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 19a is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a pluralityof video streams and for automatically displaying the video streams on adisplay of the computing device in a determined order, in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 19b is another flowchart representing a process for receiving aplurality of video streams and for automatically displaying the videostreams on a display of the computing device in a determined order, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 19c is another flowchart representing a process for receiving aplurality of video streams and for automatically displaying the videostreams on a display of the computing device in a determined order, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 20a shows an exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 20b shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 21a shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 21b shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 22a shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 22b shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for transmitting a media stream from a firstcomputing device to one or more secondary computing devices and forautomatically responding to network connectivity issues, in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 24 is an exemplary data structure for indicating attributesassociated with conference participants, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart representing a process for transmitting a mediastream from a first computing device to one or more secondary computingdevices and for automatically responding to network connectivity issues,in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 26 shows an exemplary environment in which audio of a conferencecall is received at a computer and an action is automatically performedin respect of the conference call, in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure;

FIG. 27 shows another exemplary environment in which audio of aconference call is received at a computer and an action is automaticallyperformed in respect of the conference call, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 28 shows another exemplary environment in which audio of aconference call is received at a computer and an action is automaticallyperformed in respect of the conference call, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 29 shows another exemplary environment in which audio of aconference call is received at a computer and an action is automaticallyperformed in respect of the conference call, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 30 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving audio of a conference call andfor automatically performing an action in respect of the conferencecall, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 31 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving audio of aconference call and for automatically performing an action in respect ofthe conference call, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure; and

FIG. 32 is another flowchart representing a process for receiving audioof a conference call and for automatically performing an action inrespect of the conference call, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods are described herein for automatically performingactions based on media content. As referred to here, media content maybe a video, audio and/or a combination of the two (audiovisual). A videois any sequence of images that can be played back to show an environmentwith respect to time. Media content may comprise a file stored locallyon a computing device. Alternatively and/or additionally, media contentmay be streamed over a network from a second computing device. Streamedmedia may be provided in a substantially real-time manner, or it mayrefer to accessing media from a remote computing device. In someexamples, media content is generated locally, such as via a microphoneand/or camera.

Performing an action includes performing an action at a program runningon a computing device, for example, operating a mute function of aprogram. Performing an action may also include transmitting aninstruction to a second device, for example an internet-of-things (IoT)device. This can include sounding an alarm or displaying an alert. Theaction may also include operating a connected device, for example aconnected coffee machine. The action may be in relation to the mediacontent, for example recording (or stopping the recording of) mediacontent.

A network is any network on which computing devices can communicate.This includes wired and wireless networks. It also includes intranets,the internet and/or any combination thereof. Where multiple devices arecommunicating, this includes known arrangements of devices. For example,it may include multiple devices communicating via a central server, orvia multiple servers. In other cases, it may include multiple devicescommunicating in a peer-to-peer manner as defined by an appropriatepeer-to-peer protocol. A network connectivity issue is any issue thathas the potential to cause issues with the transmission of media contentbetween two or more computing devices. This may include a reduction inavailable bandwidth, a reduction in available computing resources (suchas computer processing and/or memory resources) and/or a change innetwork configuration. Such an issue may not be immediately obvious toan end user, however; for example, a relatively small reduction inbandwidth may be a precursor to further issues. A connectivity issue maymanifest itself as pixilated video and/or distorted audio on aconference call. Network connectivity issues also include issues whereconnectivity is entirely lost.

Determining the content of audio and/video may include utilizing a modelthat has been trained to recognize the content of audio and/or video,for example, if the video is of a fire, to recognize that the video isshowing a fire. Such a model may be an artificial intelligence model,such as a neural network. Such a model is typically trained on databefore it is implemented. The trained model can then infer the contentof audio and/or video that it has not encountered before. Such a modelmay associate a confidence level with such output, and any determinedactions may take into account the confidence level. For example, if theconfidence level is less than 60%, an action may not be recommended. Themodel may be implemented on a local computing device. Alternativelyand/or additionally, the model may be implemented on remote server, andthe output from the model may be transmitted to a local computingdevice. The model may be continually trained, such that it learns frommedia that it receives as well, in addition to an original data set.

The disclosed methods and systems may be implemented on a computingdevice. As referred to herein, the computing device can be any devicecomprising a processor and memory, for example a television, a Smart TV,a set-top box, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handlingsatellite television, a digital storage device, a digital media receiver(DMR), a digital media adapter (DMA), a streaming media device, a DVDplayer, a DVD recorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAYplayer, a BLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer,a tablet computer, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV),a PC media server, a PC media center, a handheld computer, a stationarytelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, aportable video player, a portable music player, a portable gamingmachine, a smartphone, or any other television equipment, computingequipment, or wireless device, and/or combination of the same.

The display of a computing device may be a display that is largelyseparate from the rest of the computing device, for example one or morecomputer monitors. Alternatively it may be a display that is integral tothe computing device, for example the screen or screens of a mobilephone or tablet. In other examples, the display may comprise the screensof a virtual reality headset, an augmented reality headset or a mixedreality headset. In a similar manner, input may be provided by a devicethat is largely separate from the rest of the computing device, forexample an external microphone and/or webcam. Alternatively, themicrophone and/or webcam may be integral to the computing device.

The methods and/or any instructions for performing any of theembodiments discussed herein may be encoded on computer-readable media.Computer-readable media includes any media capable of storing data. Thecomputer-readable media may be transitory, including, but not limitedto, propagating electrical or electromagnetic signals, or may benon-transitory, including, but not limited to, volatile and non-volatilecomputer memory or storage devices such as a hard disk, floppy disk, USBdrive, DVD, CD, media cards, register memory, processor caches, RandomAccess Memory (RAM), etc.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment in which a video is received at acomputing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. Video 100 is received at a mobile device 102. The video 100can be streamed video, for example as part of a videoconference, orvideo that is accessed locally. On receiving the video, a contentdetermination engine determines 104 content of the video. In thisexample, the video 100 is of a man cycling 106.

An action to perform at the mobile device 102 is determined 108. Theaction may take into account one or more preset rules. For example, therule may comprise “save the video if the content is not private.” Inthis example, as the content is not private, the action is to save thevideo the device storage 110. The action is performed at the mobiledevice 102 and the video is saved 112 to the device storage. The presetrules may be set by a user of the mobile device, for example, through asettings page. Alternatively, the preset rules may be determined by adistributor of an application running on a computing device and not bechangeable by a user. For example, a company may wish to ensure thatCCTV videos are automatically recorded if the video is of an employeeaccessing a secure premises after a certain time and are not deletableby a user reviewing the video. The company may require a second factorto be determined in order to ensure that the time stamp of the video hasnot been altered. In this case, the content determination engine maydetermine that the video shows an employee accessing the secure premisesand that it has been recorded after a certain time, for example, basedon a light level of the video. If these preset rules are met, then thevideo may be automatically recorded. The preset rules may be populatedautomatically, based on the determined content of video. For example, ifthe video comprises sensitive material, then rules relating to savingthe video may be auto-populated.

Determining the content of video and generating the action to performmay include utilizing a trained model. Such a model may be an artificialintelligence model, such as a trained neural network, and may associatea confidence level with the output. The action to be performed may takeinto account the confidence level. For example, if the confidence levelis less than 70%, an action may not be performed. In this particularexample, the trained model would be implemented at the mobile device102.

FIGS. 2a and 2b show another exemplary environment in which a video isreceived at a computing device and an action based on the video contentis automatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. Video 200 is received at a mobile device 202. Again, thevideo 200 can be streamed video, for example as part of avideoconference, or video that is accessed locally. On receiving thevideo, the video is transmitted, via a communications network 214, to aserver 216. The communications network 214 may be a local network and/orthe internet and may include wired and/or wireless components. At theserver 216, a content determination engine determines content 204 of thevideo. In this example, the video 200 is again of a man cycling 206.

In FIG. 2a , in addition to the content determination engine determiningcontent 204 of the video, an action to perform at the mobile device 202is generated 208 a at the server. Again, the action may take intoaccount one or more preset rules. For example, the rule may comprise“save the video if the content is not private.” In this example, as thecontent is not private, the action is to save the video the devicestorage 210 a. The determined action is transmitted back to the mobiledevice 202 via the communications network 214. The determined action isperformed at the mobile device 202 and the video is saved 212 to thedevice storage.

In FIG. 2b , once the content determination engine has determined thecontent 204 of the video, the determined content is transmitted from theserver 216 to the mobile device 202 via the communications network 214,and an action to perform at the mobile device 202 is generated 208 b atthe mobile device 202. Again, the action may take into account one ormore preset rules. For example, the rule may comprise “save the video ifthe content is not private.” In this example, as the content is notprivate, the action is to save the video to the device storage 210 b.The determined action is performed at the mobile device 202 and thevideo is saved 212 to the device storage.

The preset rules and the determination of the content of the video andgenerating the action to perform may be implemented as discussed abovein connection with FIG. 1, but with elements of the model implemented ata server, as discussed above in connection with FIGS. 2a and 2 b.

FIG. 3 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. A computing device comprising a camera 318 captures imagesof an environment at regular intervals. This may, for example, be oneimage a minute, one image a second, 10 images a second, 30 images asecond, 60 images a second or 120 images a second. The camera 318 mayalso capture images at a variable rate. For example, it may captureimages at a base rate of one image a second, but if motion is detected,it may increase the rate to, for example, 60 images a second. The camera318 may be a connected (i.e., connected to a network) security camera ofa household and/or a connected camera of a smart doorbell. In thisexample, the environment being captured by the camera 318 comprises afire 320. The camera 318 sends the images via a communications network314 to a server 316. The images may be automatically compressed beforethey are sent over the network 314. At the server, the content of thevideo is determined 304. In this example, it is determined that thevideo comprises a fire 306. At the server, an action is generated 308.In this example, the action is to sound an alarm at a connected alarm310. The action is transmitted via the communications network 314 to theconnected alarm 322, and the alarm sounds 312. In this way, anycomputing device comprising a camera can be used to make anotherconnected device a smart device (i.e., a device that can operate to someextent interactively and autonomously). The camera 318 or the alarm 322may not be capable of detecting a fire by themselves; however, as bothare connectable to a network and are capable of receiving instructions,it is possible to make them both operate in a smart manner. In this way,the capabilities of any internet-connected device can be improved. Inaddition or alternatively, the server may transmit an alert to emergencyservices, or to a mobile phone of a user and/or operate a connected firesuppression system.

FIG. 4 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. A computing device comprising a camera 418 captures imagesof an environment at regular intervals. The camera may be similar to theaforementioned camera 318. The camera 418 may be a connected (i.e.,connected to a network) security camera of a household and/or aconnected camera of a smart doorbell. In this example, the environmentbeing captured by the camera 418 comprises an intruder 420. In a similarmanner to that described in connection with FIG. 3, the camera 418 sendsthe images via a communications network 414 to a server 416. At theserver, the content of the video is determined 404. In this example, itis determined that the video comprises an intruder 406. At the server,an action is generated 408. In this example, the action is to close aconnected shutter 410. The action is transmitted to via thecommunications network 414 to the connected shutter 422 and the shuttercloses 412. Again, the camera 418 or the shutter 422 may not be capableof detecting an intruder by themselves; however, as both are connectableto a network and are capable of receiving instructions, it is possibleto make them both operate in a smart manner. In addition oralternatively , the server may transmit an alert to emergency servicesand/or an alert to a mobile device of a user.

FIG. 5 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. Video and audio are received via a webcam comprising amicrophone 500 at a laptop 502 as part of a user participating in avideoconference. The microphone of the webcam 500 captures a loud sound,which causes the user to get up and investigate. The content of thevideo is determined based on the audio 504. In this example, it isdetermined that the user is getting up to investigate the loud noise506. An action to be performed is generated 508. In this example, it isto mute the videoconference 510, so that other participants are notdisturbed. At the laptop 502, the action is performed and the user'saudio input to the videoconference is muted 512.

FIG. 6 shows another exemplary environment in which a video is receivedat a computing device and an action based on the video content isautomatically performed, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. Video and audio are received via a webcam 600 at a laptop602 as part of users participating in a videoconference. In thisexample, there are two users in the same room, in front of the samewebcam 600. The webcam 600 captures one user's action of whispering tothe other user. In this example, the intention of the users in the videois determined 604, based on an intention modelling database. Theintention of the one user who is whispering to the other user isdetermined as wanting to keep the conversation private 606. An action tobe performed is generated 608. In this example, it is to mute thevideoconference 610 (i.e. mute the laptop's microphone), so that theconversation remains private. At the laptop 602, the action is performedand the user's audio input to the videoconference is muted 612.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving a request to display anindicator menu and for displaying an indicator menu, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. Computing device 700 (e.g., a device102, 202, 302, 402, 502, 602 as discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-6)comprises input circuitry 702, control circuitry 708 and an outputmodule 718. Control circuitry 708 may be based on any suitableprocessing circuitry and comprises control circuits and memory circuits,which may be disposed on a single integrated circuit or may be discretecomponents. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should beunderstood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). Insome embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multipleof the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). Some control circuits may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, or software.

A user provides an input 704 that is received by the input circuitry702. The input circuitry 702 is configured to receive video input as,for example, a video stream and/or a recorded video. The input may befrom a second computing device, via a network, for a streamed video. Fora recorded video, the input may be from a storage device. Transmissionof the input 704 from the input device to the input circuitry 702 may beaccomplished using wired means, such as a USB cable, or wireless means,such as Wi-Fi. The input circuitry 702 determines whether the input is avideo and, if it is a video, transmits the video to the controlcircuitry 708.

The control circuitry 708 comprises a content determination engine 710and an action generator 714. Upon the control circuitry 708 receivingthe video, the content determination engine 710 determines the contentof video and transmits 712 the content to the action generator 714. Theaction generator 714 generates an action based on the content of thevideo and transmits 716 the action to the output module 718. Asdiscussed above, the content determination engine and/or the actiongenerator may be a trained network.

On receiving the action to perform, the output module 718 performs thegenerated action 720. The action may be performed at the same computingdevice as that at which the video is received. Alternatively, the actionmay be performed at a different computing device. If the action isperformed at a different computing device, the action may be transmittedto the second computing device via a network.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a video andfor automatically performing an action based on the video content, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 800 may beimplemented on any aforementioned computing device 102, 202, 302, 402,502, 602. In addition, one or more actions of process 800 may beincorporated into or combined with one or more actions of any otherprocess or embodiment described herein.

At 802 a computing device 102, 202, 302, 402, 502, 602 receives a video.This may be a video from a memory of the computing device. The video maybe a video stream from another computing device.

At 804, the content of the video is determined with a contentdetermination engine. The content determination engine may be a trainednetwork. At 806, an instruction to perform an action is generated.Again, the generation of an instruction to perform may be via a trainednetwork.

At 808, it is determined where the generated action is to be performed.If the action is to be performed at the first computing device, at 810the action is performed at the first computing device. If the action isto be performed at a second computing device, at 812 the action istransmitted to the second computing device, and at 814, the action isperformed at the second computing device. Performing the action may alsocomprise executing instructions at the first computing device.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary environment in which first and second audioinputs are received at a computing device and a mute function isautomatically selected based on the audio inputs, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. In this example, initially, the mutefunction 924 of the first laptop 904 is not turned on. A first audioinput, “Please can you close the door as I'm on a call,” 900 is receivedvia a microphone 902 at a first laptop 904. A second audio input, “Todaywe deliver our quarterly earnings” 908 is received at a second laptop910 and is transmitted to the first laptop 904 via a communicationsnetwork 906. The communications network 906 may be a local networkand/or the internet and may include wired and/or wireless components.The content of the first audio 900 is determined 912 with naturallanguage processing. In this example, the content is determined assomeone asking for the door to be closed 914. The content of the secondaudio 908 is determined 916 with natural language processing. In thisexample, the content is determined as a quarterly earnings meeting 918.Whether or not the audio content of the first audio input and the secondaudio input correspond is determined 920. In this example, the two audioinputs do not correspond 922.

Determining the content of audio and whether the two audio inputscorrespond may include utilizing a trained model. Such a model may be anartificial intelligence model, such as a trained neural network, and mayassociate a confidence level with the output. In this particularexample, the trained model would be implemented at the laptop 904.

A mute function 924 is operated at the first laptop 904. In thisexample, as the first audio input 900 and the second audio input 908 donot correspond, a user microphone at the first laptop 904 is muted sothat their request to close the door does not interrupt the conference.

FIGS. 10a and 10b show exemplary environments in which first and secondaudio inputs are received at a computing device and a mute function isautomatically selected based on the audio inputs, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. In this example, initially, the mutefunction 1024 of the laptop 1004 is not turned on. Again, a first audioinput, “Please can you close the door as I′m on a call,” 1000 isreceived via a microphone 1002 at a first laptop 1004. A second audioinput, “Today we deliver our quarterly earnings” 1008 is received at asecond laptop 1010 and is transmitted to the first laptop 1004 via acommunications network 1006. The communications network 1006 may be alocal network and/or the internet and may include wired and/or wirelesscomponents.

In FIG. 10a , the first audio input 1000 and the second audio input 1008are transmitted via the communications network 1006 to a server 1026. Atthe server 1026, the content of the first audio input 1000 is determined1012 a with natural language processing. In this example, the content isdetermined as someone asking for the door to be closed 1014 a. Thecontent of the second audio 1008 is determined 1016 a with naturallanguage processing. In this example, the content is determined as aquarterly earnings meeting 1018 a. Whether or not the audio content ofthe first audio input and the second audio input correspond isdetermined 1020 a. In this example, the two audio inputs do notcorrespond 1022 a. Whether or not the audio content of the first audioinput and the second audio input correspond is transmitted from theserver 1026, via the communications network 1006, to the first laptop1004. A mute function 1024 is operated at the laptop 1004. In thisexample, because the first audio input 1000 and the second audio input1008 do not correspond, a user at the laptop 1004 is muted so that theirrequest to close the door does not interrupt the conference.

In FIG. 10b , the content of the first audio input 1000 is determined1012 b at the first laptop 1004, and the content of the first audioinput 1000 is transmitted, via the communications network 1006, to theserver 1026. The second audio 1008 is transmitted from the second laptop1010, via the communications network 1006, to the server 1026. At theserver 1026, the content of the second audio 1008 is determined 1016 bwith natural language processing. In this example, the content isdetermined as a quarterly earnings meeting 1018 b. Whether or not theaudio content of the first audio input and the second audio inputcorrespond is determined 1020 b. In this example, the two audio inputsdo not correspond 1022 b. Whether or not the audio content of the firstaudio input and the second audio input correspond is transmitted fromthe server 1026, via the communications network 1006, to the firstlaptop 1004. A mute function 1024 is operated at the laptop 1004. Inthis example, as the first audio input 1000 and the second audio input1008 do not correspond, a user at the laptop 1004 is muted so that theirrequest to close the door does not interrupt the conference.

In FIG. 10c , the content of the first audio input 1000 is determined1012 c at the first laptop 1004. The second audio 1008 is transmittedfrom the second laptop 1010, via the communications network 1006, to theserver 1026. At the server 1026, the content of the second audio 1008 isdetermined 1016 c with natural language processing. In this example, thecontent is determined as a quarterly earnings meeting 1018 c. Thecontent of the second audio 1008 is transmitted, via the communicationsnetwork 1006, to the first laptop 1004. Whether or not the audio contentof the first audio input and the second audio input correspond isdetermined 1020 c at the first laptop 1004. In this example, the twoaudio inputs do not correspond 1022 c. A mute function 1024 is operatedat the laptop 1004. In this example, as the first audio input 1000 andthe second audio input 1008 do not correspond, a user at the laptop 1004is muted so that their request to close the door does not interrupt theconference.

Again, determining the content of audio and whether the two audio inputscorrespond may include utilizing a trained model. Such a model may be anartificial intelligence model, such as a trained neural network, and mayassociate a confidence level with the output. In this particularexample, at least elements of the trained model would be implemented atthe server 1026.

FIG. 11 shows another exemplary environment in which first and secondaudio inputs are received at a computing device and a mute function isautomatically selected based on the audio inputs, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. In this example, initially, the mutefunction of the first laptop 1104 is turned on. A first audio input,“These are good results,” 1100 is received via a microphone 1102 at afirst laptop 1104. The input is recorded 1126 at the first laptop 1104.In other examples, the first audio input may be transmitted from thefirst laptop 1104 to a server and may be recorded at the server. Asecond audio input, “Today we deliver our quarterly earnings” 1108 isreceived at a second laptop 1110 and is transmitted to the first laptop1104 via a communications network 1106. The communications network 1106may be a local network and/or the internet and may include wired and/orwireless components. The content of the first audio input 1100 isdetermined 1112 with natural language processing. In this example, thecontent is determined as good results 1114. The content of the secondaudio 1108 is determined 1116 with natural language processing. In thisexample, the content is determined as a quarterly earnings meeting 1118.Whether or not the audio content of the first audio input and the secondaudio input correspond is determined 1120. In this example, the twoaudio inputs correspond 1122.

Determining the content of audio and whether the two audio inputscorrespond may include utilizing a trained model. Such a model may be anartificial intelligence model, such as a trained neural network, and mayassociate a confidence level with the output. In this particularexample, the trained model would be implemented at the laptop 1104.

A mute function is operated at the first laptop 1104. In this example,the first audio input 1100 and the second audio input 1108 correspond;however, the mute function of the first laptop 1104 is turned on. Toaddress this, a part of the recorded audio 1126 from where the userstarted speaking is transmitted to the second laptop 1110, before themute function of the first laptop 1104 is turned off In this way a userat the second laptop 1110 should receive, at least substantially, thewhole contribution 1124 of a user at the first laptop 1104. Therecording 1126 is essentially used as a buffer to aid with situationswhere a participant is trying to contribute but has the mute functionturned on. A trained network may also be utilized to determine whetherit is suitable to play back the recorded portion of audio, for example,if it would interrupt a speaker at the second laptop 1110.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving a video and for automaticallyselecting a mute function based on first and second audio inputs to thecomputing device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.Computing device 1200 (e.g., a computing device 904, 1004, 1104 asdiscussed in connection with FIGS. 9-11) comprises input circuitry 1202,control circuitry 1210 and an output module 1220. Control circuitry 1210may be based on any suitable processing circuitry and comprises controlcircuits and memory circuits, which may be disposed on a singleintegrated circuit or may be discrete components. As referred to herein,processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on oneor more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores). In some embodiments, processing circuitry maybe distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units,for example, multiple of the same type of processing units (e.g., twoIntel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., anIntel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). Some controlcircuits may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or software.

First audio input 1204 and second audio input 1206 are received by theinput circuitry 1202. The input circuitry 1202 is configured to receiveaudio input as, for example, an audio stream. The input may be from amicrophone that is integral or is external to the computing device 1200.Input from a second computing device may be via a network for a streamedaudio. Transmission of the input 1204, 1206 from the input device to theinput circuitry 1202 may be accomplished using wired means, such as aUSB cable, or wireless means, such as Wi-Fi. The input circuitry 1202determines whether the input is audio and, if it is audio, transmits theaudio to the control circuitry 1210.

The control circuitry 1210 comprises a content determination engine 1212and a module to determine whether the content corresponds 1216. Upon thecontrol circuitry 1210 receiving 1208 the audio, the contentdetermination engine 1212 determines the content of the first and secondaudio and transmits 1214 the content of the first and second audio tothe module to determine whether the content corresponds 1216. Whether ornot the two correspond is transmitted 1218 to the output module 1220. Asdiscussed above, the content determination engine and/or the actiongenerator may be a trained network.

On receiving the indication whether the two correspond, the outputmodule 1220 operates the mute function 1222.

FIG. 13 is another block diagram representing components of a computingdevice and data flow therebetween for receiving a video and forautomatically selecting a mute function based on first and second audioinputs to the computing device, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure. Computing device 1300 (e.g., a computing device 904,1004, 1104 as discussed in connection with FIGS. 9-11) comprises inputcircuitry 1302, control circuitry 1310 and an output module 1324.Control circuitry 1310 may be based on any suitable processing circuitryand comprises control circuits and memory circuits, which may bedisposed on a single integrated circuit or may be discrete components.As referred to herein, processing circuitry should be understood to meancircuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers,digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). Insome embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multipleof the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). Some control circuits may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, or software.

First audio input 1304 is received by the input circuitry 1302. Theinput circuitry also comprises a transceiver 1310 for receiving 1308 thesecond audio input 1306, for example from a second computing device viaa wireless network. The input circuitry 1302 is configured to receiveaudio input as, for example, an audio stream. The input may be from amicrophone that is integral or is external to the computing device 1300.Transmission of the input 1304, 1306 from the input device to the inputcircuitry 1302 may be accomplished using wired means, such as a USBcable, or wireless means, such as Wi-Fi. The input circuitry 1302determines whether the input is audio and, if it is audio, transmits theaudio to control circuitry 1314.

The control circuitry 1314 comprises a content determination engine 1316and a module to determine whether the content corresponds 1320. Upon thecontrol circuitry 1314 receiving 1312 the audio, the contentdetermination engine 1316 determines the content of first and secondaudio and transmits 1318 the content of the first and second audio tothe module to determine whether the content corresponds 1320. Whether ornot the two correspond is transmitted 1322 to the output module 1324. Asdiscussed above, the content determination engine and/or the actiongenerator may be a trained network.

On receiving the indication whether the two correspond, the outputmodule 1324 operates the mute function 1326.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a video andfor automatically selecting a mute function based on first and secondaudio inputs to the computing device, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 1400 may be implemented on anyaforementioned computing device 904, 1004, 1104. In addition, one ormore actions of process 1400 may be incorporated into or combined withone or more actions of any other process or embodiment described herein.

At 1402, first audio and second audio are received at a first computingdevice. At 1404, the content of the first and second audio is determinedwith natural language processing. At 1406, whether the content of thefirst audio corresponds to the content of the second audio isdetermined. At 1408, if the content corresponds, no action is taken withrespect to the mute function at 1410. At 1408, if the content does notcorrespond, the mute function is operated at the first computing deviceat 1412.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a video andfor automatically selecting a mute function based on first and secondaudio inputs to the computing device, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Process 1500 may be implemented on anyaforementioned computing device 904, 1004, 1104. In addition, one ormore actions of process 1500 may be incorporated into or combined withone or more actions of any other process or embodiment described herein.

At 1502, first audio and second audio are received at a muted firstcomputing device. At 1504, the first audio is recorded. The first audiomay be recorded at the first computing device, and/or a server. At 1506,the content of the first and second audio is determined with naturallanguage processing. At 1508, whether the content of the first audiocorresponds to the content of the second audio is determined. At 1510,if the content corresponds, the recorded first audio is transmitted tothe second computing device at 1512 and the mute function is turned offat 1514. At 1516, if the content does not correspond, no action is takenwith respect to the recording or the mute function.

FIG. 16 a flowchart representing a process for training a network todetermine whether the content of a first audio input corresponds to thecontent of a second audio input, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure. One or more actions of process 1600 may be incorporatedinto or combined with one or more actions of any other process orembodiment described herein.

The determination as to whether the content of the first audio input andthe second audio input correspond may be carried out by a trainednetwork. Such a network may be trained in accordance with the followingsteps.

At 1602 source audio data is provided. Such data is tagged to indicatethe content, so that the network can make a connection between thesource audio data and the tag. At 1604, a mathematical representation ofthe source audio data is produced. For example, this may be a pluralityof vectors. At 1606, a network is trained, using the mathematicalrepresentations, to determine whether the first and second audio inputscorrespond. Such training may utilize datasets of corresponding audioinputs, so that the network can learn what audio inputs correspond.

FIG. 17a shows an exemplary environment in which a plurality of videostreams are received at a computing device and the video streams areautomatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.A first computing device 1700 participates in a videoconference via acommunications network 1702 with secondary computing devices 1704, 1706.The communications network 1702 may be a local network and/or theinternet and may include wired and/or wireless components. The secondarycomputing devices 1704, 1706 each comprise a video camera for generatinga respective video stream 1712, 1714 of a user participating in thevideoconference. These video streams 1712, 1714 are transmitted from thesecondary computing devices 1704, 1706, via the communications network1702, and are displayed on a display of the first computing device 1700.The order in which to display the video streams 1712, 1714 from thesecondary computing devices 1704, 1706 is determined 1708 a. In thisexample, it is determined that the stream 1712 from secondary computingdevice 1704 is displayed first and the stream 1714 from the secondarycomputing device 1706 is displayed second 1710 a, based on the order inwhich the secondary computing devices 1704, 1706 connected to the firstcomputing device 1700.

The video streams may further comprise audio, and the order in which todisplay the video streams may comprise utilizing natural languageprocessing in order to determine the context of the audio. Additionallyand/or alternatively, a participant recognition model may be utilized todetermine the participants of the videoconference, and the video streamsmay be displayed according to preset rules. Participants may beidentified by, for example, facial recognition and/or by a displayedname of a participant. Determining the context of the audio may includeutilizing a trained model. Such a model may be an artificialintelligence model, such as a trained neural network, and may associatea confidence level with the output. In this particular example, thetrained model would be implemented at the first laptop 1700; however,the audio may be transmitted to a server, and the model may beimplemented on the server, with the video order being transmitted to thefirst laptop 1700.

FIG. 17b shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.A first computing device 1700 participates in a videoconference via acommunications network 1702 and a server 1716 with secondary computingdevices 1704, 1706. The communications network 1702 may be a localnetwork and/or the internet and may include wired and/or wirelesscomponents. The server 1716 may coordinate the videoconferenceparticipants and/or push videoconference settings out to videoconferenceparticipants. The secondary computing devices 1704, 1706 each comprise avideo camera for generating a respective video stream 1712, 1714 of auser participating in the videoconference. These video streams 1712,1714 are transmitted from the secondary computing devices 1704, 1706,via the communications network 1702 and the server 1716 and aredisplayed on a display of the first computing device 1700. The order inwhich to display the video streams 1712, 1714 from the secondarycomputing devices 1704, 1706 is determined 1708 b at the server 1716. Inthis example, it is determined that the stream 1712 from secondarycomputing device 1704 is displayed first and the stream 1714 from thesecondary computing device 1706 is displayed second 1710 b, based on theorder in which the secondary computing devices 1704, 1706 connected tothe first computing device 1700. The server transmits the determinedorder to the laptop 1700, and the video streams are displayed in thedetermined order on a display of the laptop 1700. Although not shown,the server can also determine the order of the video streams for thesecondary participants 1704, 1706 and transmit the order to thesecondary participants. The order may be different for differentparticipants, depending on, for example, whether they are a host or aco-host.

FIG. 17c shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.A first computing device 1700 participates in a videoconference via acommunications network 1702 with secondary computing devices 1704, 1706.The communications network 1702 may be a local network and/or theinternet and may include wired and/or wireless components. The secondarycomputing devices 1704, 1706 each comprise a video camera for generatinga respective video stream 1712, 1714 of a user participating in thevideoconference. These video streams 1712, 1714 are transmitted from thesecondary computing devices 1704, 1706, via the communications network1702 and are displayed on a display of the first computing device 1700.A participant recognition model 1718 c determines the videoconferenceparticipants. In this example, computing device 1704 is a co-host andcomputing device 1706 is an attendee. The order in which to display thevideo streams 1712, 1714 from the secondary computing devices 1704, 1706is determined 1708 c based on the output from the participantrecognition model. In this example, it is determined that the stream1712 from secondary computing device 1704 is displayed first and thestream 1714 from the secondary computing device 1706 is displayed second1710 c, based on the secondary computing device 1704 being a cohost andthe secondary computing device 1706 being an attendee.

FIG. 17d shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.A first computing device 1700 participates in a videoconference via acommunications network 1702 and a server 1716 with secondary computingdevices 1704, 1706. The communications network 1702 may be a localnetwork and/or the internet and may include wired and/or wirelesscomponents. The server 1716 may coordinate the videoconferenceparticipants and/or push videoconference settings out to videoconferenceparticipants. The secondary computing devices 1704, 1706 each comprise avideo camera for generating a respective video stream 1712, 1714 of auser participating in the videoconference. These video streams 1712,1714 are transmitted from the secondary computing devices 1704, 1706,via the communications network 1702 and the server 1716 and aredisplayed on a display of the first computing device 1700. A participantrecognition model 1718 d at the server 1716 determines thevideoconference participants. In this example, computing device 1704 isa co-host and computing device 1706 is an attendee. The order in whichto display the video streams 1712, 1714 from the secondary computingdevices 1704, 1706 is determined 1708 d at the server 1716 and is basedon the output from the participant recognition model. In this example,it is determined that the stream 1712 from secondary computing device1704 is displayed first and the stream 1714 from the secondary computingdevice 1706 is displayed second 1710 d, based on the secondary computingdevice 1704 being a cohost and the secondary computing device 1706 beingan attendee. The server transmits the determined order to the laptop1700 and the video streams are displayed in the determined order on adisplay of the laptop 1700. Although not shown, the server can alsodetermine the order of the video streams for the secondary participants1704, 1706 and transmit the order to the secondary participants. Theorder may be different for different participants, depending on, forexample, whether they are a host or a co-host.

As discussed above, the participant recognition model may identifyparticipants by, for example, facial recognition, a displayed name of aparticipant and/or determining the context of the audio of thevideoconference. The participant recognition model may include utilizinga trained model. Such a model may be an artificial intelligence model,such as a trained neural network, and may associate a confidence levelwith the output. The participant recognition model may query a databasein order to determine additional information about participants. Forexample, if the model determines a name of a participant, it may query adatabase to determine whether they are a host, co-host or attendee.

FIG. 17e shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.A first computing device 1700 participates in a videoconference via acommunications network 1702 with secondary computing devices 1704, 1706.The communications network 1702 may be a local network and/or theinternet and may include wired and/or wireless components. The secondarycomputing devices 1704, 1706 each comprise a video camera for generatinga respective video stream 1712, 1714 of a user participating in thevideoconference. These video streams 1712, 1714 are transmitted from thesecondary computing devices 1704, 1706, via the communications network1702 and are displayed on a display of the first computing device 1700.The entropy of the video streams is determined 1718 e. In this example,the video stream from the computing device 1704 has high entropy and thevideo stream from the computing device 1706 has low entropy. The orderin which to display the video streams 1712, 1714 from the secondarycomputing devices 1704, 1706 is determined 1708 e based on the entropydetermination. In this example, it is determined that the stream 1712from secondary computing device 1704 is displayed first and the stream1714 from the secondary computing device 1706 is displayed second 1710e, based on the video stream from the secondary computing device 1704having high entropy and the video stream from the secondary computingdevice 1706 having low entropy.

FIG. 17f shows another exemplary environment in which a plurality ofvideo streams are received at a computing device and the video streamsare automatically displayed on a display of the computing device in adetermined order, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.A first computing device 1700 participates in a videoconference via acommunications network 1702 and a server 1716 with secondary computingdevices 1704, 1706. The communications network 1702 may be a localnetwork and/or the internet and may include wired and/or wirelesscomponents. The server 1716 may coordinate the videoconferenceparticipants and/or push videoconference settings out to videoconferenceparticipants. The secondary computing devices 1704, 1706 each comprise avideo camera for generating a respective video stream 1712, 1714 of auser participating in the videoconference. These video streams 1712,1714 are transmitted from the secondary computing devices 1704, 1706,via the communications network 1702 and the server 1716 and aredisplayed on a display of the first computing device 1700. The entropyof the video streams is determined 1718 f at the server. The order inwhich to display the video streams 1712, 1714 from the secondarycomputing devices 1704, 1706 is determined 1708 f at the server 1716 andis based on the determined entropy. In this example, it is determinedthat the stream 1712 from secondary computing device 1704 is displayedfirst and the stream 1714 from the secondary computing device 1706 isdisplayed second 1710 f, based on the video stream from the secondarycomputing device 1704 having a high entropy and the video stream fromthe secondary computing device 1706 having a low entropy. The servertransmits the determined order to the laptop 1700, and the video streamsare displayed in the determined order on a display of the laptop 1700.Although not shown, the server can also determine the order of the videostreams for the secondary participants 1704, 1706 and transmit the orderto the secondary participants. The order may be different for differentparticipants, depending on, for example, whether they are a host or aco-host.

As discussed above, the entropy of video streams may be analyzed todetermine an order in which to display them. For example, a presentermay be moving around while presenting, whereas a person attending thepresentation may be relatively immobile. As such, the video of thepresenter will have a higher entropy and may be displayed first. Inaddition to determining the entropy, the video may be analyzed todetermine whether human or non-human movement contributes to the entropyof the video, for example, if a participant is sitting next to a busyroad. Entropy contributed by non-human movement may be ignored.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving a plurality of video streamsand for automatically displaying the video streams on a display of thecomputing device in a determined order, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Computing device 1800 (e.g., a computingdevice 1700 as discussed in connection with FIG. 17) comprises inputcircuitry 1802, control circuitry 1810 and an output module 1816.Control circuitry 1810 may be based on any suitable processing circuitryand comprises control circuits and memory circuits, which may bedisposed on a single integrated circuit or may be discrete components.As referred to herein, processing circuitry should be understood to meancircuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers,digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). Insome embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multipleof the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). Some control circuits may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, or software.

First video stream 1804 is received by the input circuitry 1802. Secondvideo stream 1806 is also received by the input circuitry 1802. Thevideo streams may be received from secondary computing devices via anetwork, such as the internet. This may be by using wired means, such asan ethernet cable, or wireless means, such as Wi-Fi. The input circuitry1802 is configured to receive a video stream. The input circuitry 1802determines whether the input is a video stream and, if it is a videostream, transmits the video stream to the control circuitry 1810.

The control circuitry 1810 comprises a module to determine 1812 theorder of the video streams. Upon the control circuitry 1810 receiving1808 the video, the module to determine the order of the video streams1812 determines an order in which to display the video streams.

As discussed above, the module to determine the order of the videostreams may be a trained network. The video streams may further compriseaudio, and the order in which to display the video streams may compriseutilizing natural language processing in order to determine the contextof the audio. Additionally and/or alternatively, a participantrecognition model may be utilized to determine the participants of thevideoconference, and the video streams may be displayed according topreset rules. Participants may be identified by, for example, facialrecognition and/or by a displayed name of a participant. Determining thecontext of the audio may include utilizing a trained model. Such a modelmay be an artificial intelligence model, such as a trained neuralnetwork, and may associate a confidence level with the output.

On receiving 1814 the order in which to display the video streams, theoutput module 1816 displays the video streams in the determined order1818 on a display of the computing device 1800.

FIG. 19a is a flowchart representing a process for receiving a pluralityof video streams and for automatically displaying the video streams on adisplay of the computing device in a determined order, in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 1900 may be implementedon any aforementioned computing device 1700. In addition, one or moreactions of process 1900 may be incorporated into or combined with one ormore actions of any other process or embodiment described herein.

At 1902, a plurality of video streams is received at a computing device.At 1904, an order in which to display the video streams is determined.At 1906, the plurality of video streams is displayed, based on thedetermined order, on a display of the computing device.

FIG. 19b is another flowchart representing a process for receiving aplurality of video streams and for automatically displaying the videostreams on a display of the computing device in a determined order, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 1900 may beimplemented on any aforementioned computing device 1700. In addition,one or more actions of process 1900 may be incorporated into or combinedwith one or more actions of any other process or embodiment describedherein.

At 1902, a plurality of video streams is received at a computing device.At 1903 b, participants in the videoconference are determined using aparticipant recognition model. At 1904, an order in which to display thevideo streams is determined, based on the participants of thevideoconference. At 1906, the plurality of video streams is displayed,based on the determined order, on a display of the computing device.

FIG. 19c is another flowchart representing a process for receiving aplurality of video streams and for automatically displaying the videostreams on a display of the computing device in a determined order, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 1900 may beimplemented on any aforementioned computing device 1700. In addition,one or more actions of process 1900 may be incorporated into or combinedwith one or more actions of any other process or embodiment describedherein

At 1902, a plurality of video streams is received at a computing device.At 1903 c, the entropy of the video streams of the videoconference isdetermined. At 1904, an order in which to display the video streams isdetermined, based on the determined entropy. At 1906, the plurality ofvideo streams is displayed, based on the determined order, on a displayof the computing device.

Again, as discussed above, the video streams may further comprise audio,and determining the order in which to display the video streams maycomprise utilizing natural language processing in order to determine thecontext of the audio. Additionally and/or alternatively, a participantrecognition model may be utilized to determine the participants of thevideoconference, and the video streams may be displayed according topreset rules. Participants may be identified by, for example, facialrecognition and/or by a displayed name of a participant. Determining thecontext of the audio may include utilizing a trained model. Such a modelmay be an artificial intelligence model, such as a trained neuralnetwork, and may associate a confidence level with the output.

FIG. 20a shows an exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Afirst laptop 2000 participates in a videoconference, via acommunications network 2002, with a second laptop 2004. Thecommunications network 2002 may be a local network and/or the internetand may include wired and/or wireless components.

The network status is determined 2006 a. In this example, the networkhas an issue 2008 a that still allows a basic level of communicationbetween the first laptop 2000 and the second laptop 2004. A notificationis transmitted to the secondary computing device 2004 and is displayed2010.

FIG. 20b shows an exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Afirst laptop 2000 participates in a videoconference, via acommunications network 2002 and a server 2014, with a second laptop2004. The communications network 2002 may be a local network and/or theinternet and may include wired and/or wireless components.

The network status is determined 2006 b at the server 2014. In thisexample, the network has an issue 2008 b. Independent of whether thefirst laptop 2000 and the second laptop 2004 can communicate, as long asa network connection is available between the server 2014 and the secondlaptop 2004, the server transmits a notification to the secondarycomputing device 2004, which is displayed 2010.

Natural language processing may be used to determine a context of thevideoconference audio. Based on the context of the audio, a personalizedmessage may be displayed. For example, the message may refer to the nameor job title of a speaker experiencing a network issue.

A network connectivity issue is any issue that has the potential tocause issues with the transmission of media content between two or morecomputing devices. This may include a reduction in available bandwidth,a reduction in available computing resources (such as computerprocessing and/or memory resources) and/or a change in networkconfiguration. Such an issue may not be immediately obvious to an enduser; however, for example, a relatively small reduction in bandwidthmay be a precursor to further issues. A connectivity issue may manifestitself as pixilated video and/or distorted audio on a conference call.Network connectivity issues also include issues where connectivity isentirely lost.

The notification may be a text message that appears in a chat area ofthe one or more secondary computing devices, an audio message, an icon(for example a warning triangle and/or an exclamation mark), and/or anotification that appears in a notification area of the one or moresecondary computing devices. The generation of the notification may alsoutilize a text-to-speech model.

FIG. 21a shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Afirst laptop 2100 participates in a videoconference, via acommunications network 2102, with secondary laptops 2104, 2112. Thecommunications network 2102 may be a local network and/or the internetand may include wired and/or wireless components.

The network status is determined 2106 a. In this example, the networkhas an issue 2108 a that still allows a basic level of communicationbetween the first laptop 2100 and the secondary laptops 2104, 2112. Asubset of the secondary laptops 2104, 2112 to which a notification is tobe sent is determined 2116 a. In this example, laptop 2104 is selected,as it is determined to be a co-host. Further examples of determinationcriteria are discussed in connection with FIG. 24 below. A notificationis transmitted to a subset of the secondary computing devices 2104 andis displayed 2110. Such an implementation may be utilized where thefirst laptop 2100 is being used by a host and a subset of the secondarylaptops 2104 is being used by a co-host. In this case it may be usefulto notify the co-host that the host is experiencing network issues, sothat they can step in if necessary. However, it is not needed, in thiscase, to notify the rest of the participants 2112. Natural languageprocessing may be used to determine a context of the videoconferenceaudio. Based on the context of the audio, a subset of the participantsmay be selected, for example if natural language processing determinesthat they are co-hosts. Other options that may be determined arediscussed in more detail in connection with FIG. 24 below.

FIG. 21b shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Afirst laptop 2100 participates in a videoconference, via acommunications network 2102 and a server 2114, with secondary laptops2104, 2112. The communications network 2102 may be a local networkand/or the internet and may include wired and/or wireless components.

The network status is determined 2106 b at the server 2114. In thisexample, the network has an issue 2108 b. A subset of the secondarylaptops 2104, 2112 to which a notification is to be sent is determined2116 b. In this example, laptop 2104 is selected as it is determined tobe a co-host. Further examples of determination criteria are discussedin connection with FIG. 24 below. A notification is transmitted from theserver to a subset of the secondary computing devices 2104 and isdisplayed 2110. Independent of whether the first laptop 2100 and thesecondary laptops 2104, 2112 can communicate, as long as a networkconnection is available between the server 2114 and the secondary laptop2104, a notification can be transmitted. Such an implementation may beutilized where the first laptop 2100 is being used by a host and asubset of the secondary laptops 2104 is being used by a co-host. In thiscase it may be useful to notify the co-host that the host isexperiencing network issues, so that they can step in if necessary.However, it is not needed, in this case, to notify the rest of theparticipants 2112. Natural language processing may be used to determinea context of the videoconference audio. Based on the context of theaudio, a subset of the participants may be selected, for example ifnatural language processing determines that they are co-hosts. Otheroptions that may be determined are discussed in more detail inconnection with FIG. 24 below.

FIG. 22a shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Afirst laptop 2200 participates in a videoconference, via acommunications network 2202, with a second laptop 2204. Thecommunications network 2202 may be a local network and/or the internetand may include wired and/or wireless components.

A polling signal 2212 a, 2212 b is transmitted from the first laptop2200 to the second laptop 2204 and returned from the second laptop 2204to the first laptop 2200. The first laptop 2200 monitors the pollingsignal 2212 for any change in the polling signal, as an indicator as towhether there are any network issues. Changes may include a change infrequency of the polling signal or the polling signal stopping entirely.

The network status is determined 2206 a based, at least in part, on thepolling signal 2212. In this example, the network has an issue 2208 athat still allows a basic level of communication between the firstlaptop 2200 and the second laptop 2204. A notification is transmitted tothe second laptop 2204 and is displayed 2210.

FIG. 22b shows another exemplary environment in which a media stream istransmitted from a first computing device to one or more secondarycomputing devices and network connectivity issues are automaticallyresponded to, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Afirst laptop 2200 participates in a videoconference, via acommunications network 2202 and a server 2214, with a second laptop2204. The communications network 2202 may be a local network and/or theinternet and may include wired and/or wireless components.

A polling signal 2212 a is transmitted from the first laptop 2200 to theserver 2214 and from the server 2214 to the second laptop 2204. Thepolling signal 2212 b is returned from the second laptop 2204 to theserver 2214 and from the server 2214 to the first laptop 2200. The firstlaptop 2200 monitors the polling signal 2212 for any change in thepolling signal, as an indicator as to whether there are any networkissues. Changes may include a change in frequency of the polling signalor the polling signal stopping entirely. Alternatively and/oradditionally, the server 2214 monitors the polling signal 2212 for anychange in the polling signal, as an indicator as to whether there areany network issues.

The network status is determined 2206 b at the server and is based, atleast in part, on the polling signal 2212. In this example, the networkhas an issue 2208 b. The server transmits a notification the secondlaptop 2204, and the notification is displayed 2210. Independent ofwhether the first laptop 2200 and the secondary laptop 2204 cancommunicate, as long as a network connection is available between theserver 2214 and the second laptop 2204, a notification can betransmitted. Alternatively, the second laptop 2204 can display anotification if no polling signal is received or if the frequency ofreceipt of the polling signal drops below a threshold amount, forexample once every 10 seconds.

Although a first computing device is discussed in connection with FIGS.20-22, if, for example, the host of a videoconference changes, then asecondary computing device may effectively become the first computingdevice.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for transmitting a media stream from a firstcomputing device to one or more secondary computing devices and forautomatically responding to network connectivity issues, in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure. Computing device 2300 (e.g., acomputing device 2000, 2100, 2200 as discussed in connection with FIGS.20-22) comprises input circuitry 2302, control circuitry 2308 and anoutput module 2316. Control circuitry 2308 may be based on any suitableprocessing circuitry and comprises control circuits and memory circuits,which may be disposed on a single integrated circuit or may be discretecomponents. As referred to herein, processing circuitry should beunderstood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). Insome embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multipleof the same type of processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). Some control circuits may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, or software.

First video stream 2304 is received by the input circuitry 2302. Theinput may be one or more secondary computing devices. Input from asecond computing device may be via a network, such as the internet andmay comprise wired means, such as an ethernet cable, and/or wirelessmeans, such as Wi-Fi.

The control circuitry 2308 comprises a module to detect networkconnectivity issues 2310 and a transceiver 2314. Upon the controlcircuitry 2308 receiving 2306 the video stream, the module to detectnetwork connectivity issues 2310 determines whether there is a networkconnectivity issue. If there is, it transmits 2312 a notification 2318via the transceiver 2314 and the output module 2316 to at least one ofthe secondary computing devices indicating that there is a networkissue.

FIG. 24 is an exemplary data structure for indicating attributesassociated with conference participants, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. The notification that is sent to thesecondary computing devices may be based on one or more of the data.

The data structure 2400 indicates, for each device 2402, what role 2404the user using the device has in the videoconference. For example, theuser may be a host, a co-host or a participant. If the host is havingnetwork issues, the notification may be sent only to the co-hosts.

If the data structure 2400 indicates that a user is using video 2406,then the notification may be a visual notification. However, if the datastructure indicates that a user is using audio 2408 only, then thenotification may be an audible notification.

If the data structure 2400 indicates a user has a high bandwidth 2410,then a relatively small dip in bandwidth may be ignored. However, if thedata structure 2400 indicates that a user has low bandwidth, then whatis a small dip for a high bandwidth user may be noticeable to a lowbandwidth user, and a notification may be displayed.

The data structure 2400 also indicates a user's company 2412 and role inthe company 2414. For example, if a company is hosting avideoconference, then notifications may be sent to users that are partof the company before other users. Similarly, users with more seniorroles may be notified before users with more junior roles.

Any of the aforementioned data may be populated manually, and/or by atrained network that determines the data from transmitted video and/oraudio, for example by using text recognition to read a name badge.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart representing a process for transmitting a mediastream from a first computing device to one or more secondary computingdevices and for automatically responding to network connectivity issues,in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Process 2500 maybe implemented on any aforementioned computing device 2000, 2100, 2200.In addition, one or more actions of process 2500 may be incorporatedinto or combined with one or more actions of any other process orembodiment described herein.

At 2502, a video stream is transmitted from a computing device to one ormore secondary computing devices. At 2504, a network connectivity issuebetween the first computing device and one or more secondary computingdevices is detected. At 2506, a notification is displayed to the one ormore secondary computing devices if a network issue is detected.

FIG. 26 shows an exemplary environment in which audio of a conferencecall is received at a computer and an action is automatically performedin respect of the conference call, in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure. At a laptop 2600, audio 2602 is received. The audiomay be as part of a conference call. In this example, the audio is “Thisis an important meeting” 2604. A user 2606 hears that this is animportant meeting and camera 2614 of the laptop captures the user 2606turning their head towards the laptop 2600. The audio content and theuser response are determined 2608. In this example, the user response ofturning their head towards the laptop in response to the audio 2604 isdetermined to indicate that the user is interested in the content of themeeting, and the audio content is determined to indicate that this is animportant meeting 2610. In response to the determination of the userresponse and the audio content, the meeting is recorded 2612 at thelaptop 2600. Although recording is used in this example, other actionsmay take place. For example, a notification may be generated anddisplayed on a display of the laptop 2600 that the user is missing animportant meeting or that the user should join the meeting at a certaintime.

FIG. 27 shows another exemplary environment in which audio of aconference call is received at a computer and an action is automaticallyperformed in respect of the conference call, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. At a laptop 2700, audio 2702 is received.The audio may be as part of a conference call. In this example, theaudio is “This is an important meeting” 2704. A user 2706 hears thatthis is an important meeting, and camera 2714 of the laptop captures theuser 2706 turning their head towards the laptop 2700. The audio contentand the user response are determined 2708. In this example, the userresponse of turning their head towards the laptop in response to theaudio 2704 is determined to indicate that the user is interested in thecontent of the meeting, and the audio content is determined to indicatethat this is an important meeting 2710. In addition, a user profile isidentified 2718. In this example, the user profile indicates that theuser is a “Manager” and has a calendar appointment, so is currently“Busy” 2720. In this example, the user profile indicates that the useris senior and hence should hear what is said in the meeting.Additionally, the profile indicates that the user is not able toparticipate in the meeting because they are busy. In response to thedetermination of the user response, the audio content and the identifieduser profile, the meeting is recorded 2712 at the laptop 2700. Althoughrecording is used in this example, other actions may take place. Forexample, a notification may be generated and displayed on a display ofthe laptop 2700 that the user is missing an important meeting or thatthe user should join the meeting at a certain time.

The determination of the user response and/or the content of the audioin FIGS. 26 and 27 may utilize a model, for example, an artificialintelligence model such as a trained neural network, and may associate aconfidence level with the output. The action may be determined, in part,based on the confidence level. Alternatively and/or additionally, aknowledge graph may be utilized to identify topics of interest.Identifying a user response may additionally and/or alternativelycomprise determining a facial expression of the user and/or an emotionof the user. The user may also utter a sound and/or words that may becaptured by a microphone 2616, 2716 of the laptop 2600, 2700. Thedetermination of the user response may also and/or additionally be basedon an utterance of the user and/or eye tracking of the user.

FIG. 28 shows an exemplary environment in which audio of a conferencecall is received at a computer and an action is automatically performedin respect of the conference call, in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure. At a laptop 2800, audio 2802 is received. The audiomay be as part of a conference call. In this example, the audio is “Thisis an important meeting” 2804. A user 2806 hears that this is animportant meeting, and camera 2814 of the laptop captures the user 2806turning their head towards the laptop 2800. The audio content and theimages of the user are transmitted, via a communications network 2824,to a server 2822. The communications network 2824 may be a local networkand/or the internet and may include wired and/or wireless components. Atthe server 2822, the audio content and the user response are determined2808. In this example, the user response of turning their head towardsthe laptop in response to the audio 2804 is determined to indicate thatthe user is interested in the content of the meeting, and the audiocontent is determined to indicate that this is an important meeting2810. In response to the determination of the user response and theaudio content, the server 2822 transmits, via the communications network2824, an instruction to the laptop 2800 to record the meeting. Thelaptop 2800 executes the instruction to record the meeting 2812.Although recording is used in this example, other actions may takeplace. For example, a notification may be generated and displayed on adisplay of the laptop 2800 that the user is missing an important meetingor that the user should join the meeting at a certain time

FIG. 29 shows an exemplary environment in which audio of a conferencecall is received at a computer and an action is automatically performedin respect of the conference call, in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure. At a laptop 2900, audio 2902 is received. The audiomay be as part of a conference call. In this example, the audio is “Thisis an important meeting” 2904. A user 2906 hears that this is animportant meeting, and camera 2914 of the laptop captures the user 2906turning their head towards the laptop 2900. The audio content and theimages of the user are transmitted, via a communications network 2924,to a server 2922. The communications network 2924 may be a local networkand/or the internet and may include wired and/or wireless components. Atthe server 2922, the audio content and the user response are determined2908. In this example, the user response of turning their head towardsthe laptop in response to the audio 2904 is determined to indicate thatthe user is interested in the content of the meeting, and the audiocontent is determined to indicate that this is an important meeting2910. In addition, a user profile is identified 2918. In this example,the user profile indicates that the user is a “Manager” and has acalendar appointment, so is currently “Busy” 2920. In this example, theuser profile indicates that the user is senior and hence should hearwhat is said in the meeting. Additionally, the profile indicates thatthe user is not able to participate in the meeting because they arebusy. In response to the determination of the user response, the audiocontent and the identified user profile, the server 2922 transmits, viathe communications network 2924, an instruction to the laptop 2900 torecord the meeting. The laptop 2900 executes the instruction to recordthe meeting 2912. Although recording is used in this example, otheractions may take place. For example, a notification may be generated anddisplayed on a display of the laptop 2900 that the user is missing animportant meeting or that the user should join the meeting at a certaintime.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram representing components of a computing deviceand data flow therebetween for receiving audio of a conference call andfor automatically performing an action in respect of the conferencecall, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Computingdevice 3000 (e.g., a computing device 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900 asdiscussed in connection with FIGS. 26-29) comprises input circuitry3002, control circuitry 3008 and an output module 3018. Controlcircuitry 3008 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry andcomprises control circuits and memory circuits, which may be disposed ona single integrated circuit or may be discrete components. As referredto herein, processing circuitry should be understood to mean circuitrybased on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signalprocessors, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and mayinclude a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core,or any suitable number of cores). In some embodiments, processingcircuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors orprocessing units, for example, multiple of the same type of processingunits (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple differentprocessors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7processor). Some control circuits may be implemented in hardware,firmware, or software.

First audio input 3004 is received by the input circuitry 3002. Theinput circuitry 3002 is configured to receive a first audio input as,for example, an audio stream from a secondary computing device.Transmission of the input 3004 from the secondary computing device tothe input circuitry 3002 may be accomplished using wired means, such asan ethernet cable, or wireless means, such as Wi-Fi. The input circuitry3002 determines whether the first audio input is audio and, if it isaudio, transmits the first audio to the control circuitry 3008. Theinput module also receives a user response input 3005, such as a videoand/or a second audio stream, for determining a user response to theaudio. This may be received via an integral and/or external microphoneand/or webcam. An external microphone and/or webcam may be connected viawired means, such as USB or via wireless means, such as BLUETOOTH.

The control circuitry 3008 comprises a module to determine a userresponse to the audio 3010 and a module to determine audio content 3014.Upon the control circuitry 3008 receiving 3006 the first audio and thevideo and/or second audio, the module to determine a user response tothe audio 3010 receives the video and/or second audio and determines theuser response to the first audio. The first audio input is transmitted3012 to the module to determine the audio content 3014, and the contentof the first audio input is determined.

An action to be performed is determined based on the user response tothe first audio and the content of the first audio. This is transmitted3016 to the output module 3018. On receiving the action, the outputmodule 3018 performs the action 3020.

As discussed above, the determination of the user response and/or thecontent of the audio may utilize a model, for example, an artificialintelligence model such as a trained neural network, and may associate aconfidence level with the output. The action may be determined, in part,based on the confidence level.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart representing a process for receiving audio of aconference call and for automatically performing an action in respect ofthe conference call, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. Process 3100 may be implemented on any aforementionedcomputing device 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900. In addition, one or moreactions of process 3100 may be incorporated into or combined with one ormore actions of any other process or embodiment described herein. At3102, audio is received at a computing device. At 3104, a user responseto the audio is determined. At 3106, audio content is determined. At3108, an action is performed based on the user response and the audiocontent. As discussed above, the determination of the user responseand/or the content of the audio may utilize a model, for example, anartificial intelligence model such as a trained neural network, and mayassociate a confidence level with the output. The action may bedetermined, in part, based on the confidence level.

FIG. 32 is another flowchart representing a process for receiving audioof a conference call and for automatically performing an action inrespect of the conference call, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure. Process 3200 may be implemented on any aforementionedcomputing device 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900. In addition, one or moreactions of process 3200 may be incorporated into or combined with one ormore actions of any other process or embodiment described herein. At3202, audio is received at a computing device. At 3204, a user responseto the audio is determined. At 3206, audio content is determined. At3208, a user interest profile comprising an association between audiocontent and a user response is identified. At 3210, an action isperformed based on the user response, the audio content and theidentified user interest profile. As discussed above, the determinationof the user response and/or the content of the audio may utilize amodel, for example, an artificial intelligence model such as a trainedneural network, and may associate a confidence level with the output.The action may be determined, in part, based on the confidence level.

The processes described above are intended to be illustrative and notlimiting. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the steps of theprocesses discussed herein may be omitted, modified, combined, and/orrearranged, and any additional steps may be performed without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure. More generally, the above disclosureis meant to be exemplary and not limiting. Furthermore, it should benoted that the features and limitations described in any one embodimentmay be applied to any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts orexamples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any otherembodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done inparallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may beperformed in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and/ormethods described above may be applied to, or used in accordance with,other systems and/or methods.

1. A method for automatically selecting a mute function based on audiocontent, the method comprising: receiving, at a first computing device,a first audio input and, from a second computing device, a second audioinput; determining, with natural language processing, content of thefirst audio input and content of the second audio input; determiningwhether the content of the first audio input corresponds to the contentof the second audio input; and operating a mute function, at the firstcomputing device, based on the determination of whether the content ofthe first audio input corresponds to the content of the second audioinput.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio input isreceived at the first computing device via an input device and thesecond audio input is transmitted from a second computing device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein, if the mute function of the first computingdevice is turned on, operating the mute function comprises turning offthe mute function of the first computing device.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein, if the mute function of the first computing device is turnedon, the method further comprising; recording the first audio input; andif the content of the first audio input corresponds to the content ofthe second audio input, transmitting the recorded first audio input toat least the second computing device.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first audio input is transmitted to at least the second computingdevice and wherein the first computing device and the second computingdevice are participants in an audioconference.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein, if the content of the first audio input does not correspond tothe content of the second audio input, operating the mute functioncomprises turning on the mute function.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the first audio input and the second audio input are transcribedat the first computing device; and the determining the content of thefirst and second audio inputs is based on the transcribed audio.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, first audio input is received via a microphoneconnected to the first computing device and the second audio input isreceived via a network.
 9. A method of training a network to determinewhether the content of a first audio input corresponds to the content ofa second audio input, the method comprising: providing source audiodata, wherein the source audio data comprises a plurality of sourceaudio transcriptions and wherein the plurality of source audiotranscriptions comprise one or more source audio words; producing amathematical representation of the source audio data, wherein the sourceaudio words are assigned a value that represents the context of theword; and training a network, using the mathematical representation ofthe source audio data, to determine whether the content of first andsecond audio inputs correspond.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thenatural language processing comprises a network trained in accordancewith the method of claim
 9. 11. A system for automatically selecting amute function based on audio content, the system comprising: acommunication port; and control circuitry configured to: receive, at afirst computing device, a first audio input and, from a second computingdevice, a second audio input; determine, with natural languageprocessing, content of the first audio input and content of the secondaudio input; determine whether the content of the first audio inputcorresponds to the content of the second audio input; and operate a mutefunction, at the first computing device, based on the determination ofwhether the content of the first audio input corresponds to the contentof the second audio input.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein: thecontrol circuitry configured to receive the first audio input is furtherconfigured to receive the first audio input via an input device; and thecontrol circuitry configured to receive the second audio input isfurther configured to receive the second audio input via a transmissionfrom the second computing device.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein,if the mute function of the first computing device is turned on, thecontrol circuitry configured to operate the mute function is furtherconfigured to turn off the mute function of the first computing device.14. The system of claim 11, wherein, if the mute function of the firstcomputing device is turned on, the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to: record the first audio input; and if the content of thefirst audio input corresponds to the content of the second audio input,transmit the recorded first audio input to at least the second computingdevice.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry isfurther configured to: transmit the first audio input to at least thesecond computing device; and participate in an audioconference betweenthe first computing device and the second computing device.
 16. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured to operatethe mute function is further configured to turn on the mute function ifthe content of the first audio input does not correspond to the contentof the second audio input.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further configured to transcribe the first audioinput and the second audio input at the first computing device; and thecontrol circuitry configured to determine the content of the first andsecond audio inputs is further configured to determine the content basedon the transcribed audio.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein: thecontrol circuitry configured to receive the first audio input is furtherconfigured to receive the first audio input via a microphone; and thecontrol circuitry configured to receive the second audio input isfurther configured to receive the second audio input via a network. 19.A system for training a network to determine whether the content of afirst audio input corresponds to the content of a second audio input,the system comprising: a communication port; and control circuitryconfigured to: receive source audio data; produce a mathematicalrepresentation of the source audio data; and train a network, using themathematical representation of the source audio data, to determinewhether the content of first and second audio inputs correspond.
 20. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured todetermine content of the first audio input and content of the secondaudio input is further configured to determine the content with anetwork trained in accordance with the method of claim
 8. 21.-30.(canceled)